


New Year's for the Soul(mate)

by MagicalMysteryGirl



Series: For the Soul(mate) [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Clint Barton & Phil Coulson Friendship, Clint Needs a Hug, Clint has a secret, F/M, Fluff, Jemma and Fitz are platonic Soulmates, Natasha Is a Good Bro, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, Phil Coulson reunion, Romantic Soulmates, Secrets, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-10 19:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5597500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicalMysteryGirl/pseuds/MagicalMysteryGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint has known all along who his soulmate is, problem is, he's pretty sure she deserves better than him. With some help and encouragement from his friends will he gather the courage to approach her at Tony's Avengers/SHIELD New Year's Eve party?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Clint Has a Soulmate

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, hope you are all gearing up to celebrate the new year (unless your somewhere where it has already come or won't come for a while yet). This is the third and final part in the For the Soul(mate) series. I hope it reaches the expectations people have for it!
> 
> Read on and enjoy!

He was nervous.

It wasn’t something that happened very often, but when one contemplated the fact that one’s soulmate was going to be in the Tower in just under an hour after one has spent the last seven years avoiding her…well one had the right to be nervous.

Clint paced around his apartment trying to figure out what to do, he’d known the moment Fury had mentioned Coulson (who was alive! the jerk) had added Dr. Jemma Simmons to his team that the moment was fast approaching when he’d have to make a decision.

He’d first met Jemma seven years ago while she and her best friend and platonic soulmate Leo Fitz had still been in the Academy. He’d been in talks with Fitz to create one of his first official (not made by Clint himself) trick arrows. He’d been a little unwilling (to put it lightly) at the time to spend time with an egg-head (his erroneous opinion at the time) talking about things that he held very close and personal (archery was one of the few things that never changed for him, it was more than just a hobby)with someone who would only speak in large words Clint could barely understand (he wasn’t an idiot, and when it came to archery and the physics behind it all he was actually pretty smart, but that didn’t mean he knew all the intellectual lingo the egg-head would likely throw around).

Coulson had convinced him to give Fitz a shot if for no other reason than to keep Clint busy and out of trouble while they were both visiting the Academy for some reason Coulson never shared.  He still remembered the look of awe Fitz had given him when he’d knocked on the doorframe to Fitz and Jemma’s lab.  It was the first sign of many that Fitz wasn’t like other egg-heads Clint had met over the years.

Fitz’s bumbling words of awe and hero-worship were amusing and Clint was surprised when he got straight to business asking questions most egg-heads wouldn’t believe Clint capable of answering let alone understanding.  They’d talked for nearly three hours about archery (Fitz was trying to get a firmer grasp of the sport and asked a lot of questions) and the possibilities for more trick arrows than Clint had managed to think up himself. Fitz had listened with a thoughtful ear as Clint made suggestions and when he had to answer or reply he’d been courteous, explaining in simple terms (but not too simple) why things would or wouldn’t work like Clint had expected.

Fitz had been the first scientist Clint had ever met who had made him feel respected and intelligent and who had effortlessly earned Clint’s own respect and trust.

The two of them had been in the middle of discussing the pros and cons of an acid arrow when Jemma had whirled in. Her accent had captivated Clint right away, and her expression, bright and excited, had inexplicably caused his heart to lurch in his chest. She’d been in the middle of a story of some sort when she finally caught sight of Clint. Her face had flushed and her eyes had widened, revealing their vibrant olive-brown color.

“ **Well hello, I’m sorry, I didn’t know I was interrupting anything. I can just…come back later shall I?** ” she’d said, and then before Clint could fully process her words and what they meant , she’d turned on her heel, her hair flaring out around her and her face an even darker shade of red than before, and disappeared from the lab.

All he’d been able to think for the rest of his stay at the Academy was ‘no, not her.’ Harold Barton (his father) had loved his soulmate Edith (his mother), but that didn’t keep her safe from being his favorite punching bag. Clint had watched for years as his mother had taken beating after beating from his father who claimed to love her. He’d grown up with the idea that he was no better than his father echoing in his head, and he’d lived in fear of the day he finally met his soulmate because of it.

Jemma Simmons (the name he managed to wheedle out of an unsuspecting Fitz) was young and kind, brilliant and enthusiastic and Clint wanted more than anything to make sure that never changed. At the time he’d allowed his fear of himself and his fear for Jemma to override the basic urge to find her, to say his words to her, to solidify the start of their soulbond. He couldn’t be the reason she lost the goodness and brilliant light that almost blinded him.

It would kill him.

He’d watched over her throughout the next few years, making sure she had all the opportunities she could ever want. Every day he found himself falling harder and harder for his soulmate, he went out of his way to discover even the tiniest detail about her with an almost desperate need to know her, understand her (be with her, though he never let that thought fester). He had dreams where he approached her and she welcomed him with open arms and warm kisses (sometimes more), but he also had nightmares where she grew angry at him for leaving her so long, or where he became the monster he’d always feared and he hurt her.

Natasha, as his best friend, Coulson, as his handler and the closest thing to family he’d had at the time, and Fury, because he was the Director, were the only three people Clint ever told about his soulmate. He knew Natasha believed love was a weakness only children could indulge in and she never pushed him to go back and claim his soulmate, but she was also disapproving of his reasons for leaving her alone. Coulson had disagreed with the whole plan right from the very beginning, he was a romantic who had never seen the dark side of soulbonding. Clint knew Coulson would never believe Clint’s reasons for staying away, no matter how many examples he provided Coulson with of destructive soulbonds and the evidence he had that he would be no different than his father or hundreds of others who took advantage of the soulbond to use and abuse their other halves.

Fury had simply given him a look and told him not to let it interfere with his work before dismissing him. (This was the response he’d preferred, but he understood where his friends were coming from.)

Clint had resigned himself to watching over Jemma (and by association, Fitz) from afar. While he may not feel worthy of being with her, that didn’t mean he didn’t care about her. He was man enough to admit to himself even now, as he paced around his apartment, that he was helplessly in love with the small woman, yet that love hadn’t been enough in the past to convince him to go to her.

When she’d disappeared a few years back for a classified project, Clint had nearly lost his mind. He’d been unable to track her down, to check on her health or her happiness. It had come too soon after to his adventure with mind-control and the death of one of his closest friends, which made it so he was nearly incapable of thinking straight for days after discovering Jemma’s reassignment. The only consolation he’d had was that Fitz was with her and Fury had made sure to inform him personally that Jemma was safe.

When Fury had finally told everyone about Coulson’s continued existence and the members of the team that Coulson had been given, Clint had both been relieved and panicked. The relief came for obvious reasons, he’d been concerned (terrified was really a better word for it) when Jemma and Fitz hadn’t turned up after the downfall of SHIELD like most SHIELD agents had. Clint had even gone as far as to request that Tony keep an eye out for the both of them, but there had been nothing.

While he was proud that Jemma had and still continued to play such a large part in the continuing existence of SHIELD, Clint had been numb to hear the cost. She’d been undercover at HYDRA!  A mission she’d only survived thanks to the skills of Clint’s sister-in-law’s sister (That was a long story he didn’t like to get into that offered yet another example of a person—Barney-- taking advantage of their soulbond with their soulmate—Laura—leaving Clint to support Laura and her kids while Barney was off doing whatever it was he did with rare check ins. Clint couldn’t really blame Bobbi for hating Clint for what his brother was doing to her sister.).

And honestly, what were the odds that Jemma would wind up being close friends with Steve’s soulmate anyway?

Sighing, Clint stilled for the first time in the last several hours when he felt the air around him shift, “It’s time to stop hiding behind your fear Barton,” Natasha’s familiar voice stated.

Eyes sliding shut in resignation for a moment Clint took a deep breath before turning to spot Natasha, dressed in a long sleeved black and red lace fitted dress, leaning against the wall beneath an opened ventilation shaft.

“You climbed through the shafts in that?” he ignored her question in favor of his own. Natasha didn’t twitch, though she did raise one eyebrow wordlessly at him in a move he recognized as her way of telling him to stop avoiding her words, “I’m not hiding,” he sighed, “I’ve never hidden the fact that the idea of actually…being with Jemma scares me.”

She quirked her head, and her lips twitched, “Why?” she prodded, her arms folding over her chest, “Because your father was an abusive drunk and your brother a cowardly criminal and neither of them knew a good thing when they had it?” her eyes twinkled a little with amusement, “I’d like to think that I trained you how to treat a woman better than that.”

Clint gave a small chuckle, “I’d like to think that I wouldn’t hurt her like they hurt my mom and Laura, but—“

“And I’d also hope that you would know me well enough to know that if you ever did lose your mind and hurt her I would be there to set you straight and potentially end you,” her words weren’t meant to be mean, and they were said with typical Natasha bluntness.

“What happened to love is for children huh?” he inquired, “When I first told you about her you agreed with me.”

Natasha shook her head, “No, I just didn’t argue with you,” she disagreed, “And I’ve come to learn that love…” her eyes dropped a little as she smiled faintly, “Love isn’t as…weak as I once thought,” she looked back up at Clint meeting his eyes.

He could feel them widening a little with surprise, “You love him,” he stated a slow grin stretching across his lips, “You’re in love with Sam.”

Rolling her eyes Natasha surprised him when she didn’t deny it, “And he loves me,” she added softly, her eyes giving away how disbelieving she felt about that.

Clint studied her for a moment before sighing and stepping forward to pull her into a hug. He was one of the few people alive who knew how much Natasha craved physical contact, but he also knew how few people she trusted to give it to her. Her trust circle was slowly extending to the other Avengers, but to Clint’s knowledge Sam and Darcy were the only other people Natasha would allow this close to her. 

“You deserve it,” he reassured her, knowing her thoughts better than his own sometimes, “Sam is a good man—“

“He doesn’t deserve my past,” she murmured, her arms looping around his waist, “All the blood in my ledger. One wrong move and I could kill him in my sleep; and I don’t trust as easily as most…yet despite all of that, he does love me,” she paused, “And I love him. We’re happy,” she pulled back to look up at him pointedly, “And I want that for you,” she poked him firmly in the chest, “You deserve it.”

He sighed and pulled away from her, “There are just so many reasons why it will never work that it’s not even funny,” he shook his head, “It’s better for her if she just…doesn’t know I exist.”

Natasha frowned, “Don’t you think that should be her choice?” she stated, “And what reasons, exactly?”

“I’m much older than she is,” Clint started, it was the easiest reason to give.

Of course Natasha rolled her eyes, “Eleven years is hardly an equal to the age gap between Thor and Jane, or Steve and Skye, or Bucky and Darcy,” she lifted her eyebrows meaningfully, her eyes sparking with hidden humor.

It was Clint’s turn to roll his eyes, “All of the above have a certain amount of immortality Tash, and you know it,” he shook his head, “besides the age thing though,” he pointedly went on, ignoring Natasha’s look, “I have more than a few people in my life who want to kill me, I can’t risk them using her to get to me.”

“From the sound of things,” Natasha moved to perch on the armrest of one of his overstuffed chairs, “She is more than capable of handling herself at least long enough for us to help her,” she tilted her head a little, “And she sounds like she has a few of her own enemies that you won’t be able to protect her from if she doesn’t know you exist. Either way, she deserves to know that if anyone is ever stupid enough to mess with her, not only will they be dealing with retribution from her own team but from ours as well.”

That…was not what he’d expected. Sometimes he forgot that he had a whole team at his back willing to help him when he needed it, “I can’t be everything she needs and still be an Avenger and I can’t ask her to deal with what I do for a living,” he listed, deciding not to refute her statement.

Natasha sighed, “It is a balancing act,” she agreed, “But you also need to remember that she’s already part of this world of action and violence,” her hands waved a little to encompass the world around them, “She knows the risks you’d be taking, and she’s signed up to take them herself if the situation required it. You won’t know what she can and can’t handle unless you _talk to her_.”

“It would be long distance,” he added, “From what I remember the Playground was somewhere in Virginia, which isn’t exactly nearby.”

“It’s also not as far away as California or other places,” Natasha reminded him, “And she could easily be transferred to work at the Cocoon or to the Avengers Facility upstate.”

Clint shook his head vehemently, “I won’t ask her to relocate her life just so I can keep mine,” he rebuked.

An elegant eyebrow lifted, “But what if she wanted to?” she argued, “Which, I’ll remind you again, you won’t know until you ask,” she rolled her eyes, “And what if she wants to be with you?” she rushed to add, cutting off his retort, “What if none of your reasons matter to her and she just wants you?”

The very thought nearly left him breathless. What wouldn’t he give for Jemma to want him back?

But it shouldn’t matter, even if he did tell her, and she decided to forgive him for keeping it a secret from her for the last seven years, he still couldn’t force her to face the potential he had to become his worst nightmare. His head was shaking as all the different ways things could go wrong spun around in his head, “She deserves better,” he repeated softly to himself.

Natasha’s normally stoic expression softened a little, “She _deserves_ the right to decide what she thinks she deserves for herself,” she rebuked gently.

There was a solid knock at the door to his apartment that brought them both around to stare at it. Clint felt his eyebrows pull down a little in confusion as he shared a look with Natasha, she didn’t know who it was either.  Forcing back the emotions he’d allowed to take free rein for the last little while, he forced himself to move towards the door and pull it open.

“Skye,” he greeted with some surprise as he found the smaller woman standing outside his door. She was dressed for the party upstairs in a long sleeved black dress with golden sequin starburst covering her torso and spreading further apart as they reached the bottom of the dress a few inches above her knees.

The woman in question pulled her eyes around to face him with a slightly nervous smile, “Hey,” she waved a little, “I…um…can I ask you a question? Or a favor,” her eyebrows pulled down expressively, “I’m not sure which you’ll think it is, but I promised I’d ask.”

Clint studied her for a moment longer, surprised at how much emotion he was able to detect in her expression. He’d recognized her ability to appear stoic nearly the moment he’d met her, and to see her looking at him so earnestly now let him know she was nervous enough about whatever was on her mind that it was messing with her ability to control her expressions. Unable to think of anything she could ask that would make him upset with her, Clint simply shifted to the side, “Want to come in?” he offered.

Her brown eyes glanced through the doorway once before she gave a small nod, “Sure,” she brushed past him and waited for him to lead her further into his living room space, “Nice place,” she complimented as she scanned the area (obviously checking the security points like any good agent). Her back straightened a little as her eyes caught sight of Natasha and she only hesitated for a millisecond before greeting the other woman, “Natasha,” she nodded in greeting.

“Skye,” Natasha returned the greeting, “What brings you by?”

Shifting her weight a little on her heeled feet Skye shifted so she could see both Clint and Natasha, “Coulson wants to see both of you before he meets with the rest of your team,” she came right out and said it, “I left a few minutes before the rest of the team did so he asked that I check with the two of you to see if that was alright.”

Clint and Natasha both stiffened a little at the request and shared a look. Neither of them really knew how to handle the fact that their old friend and mentor was still alive and well, they were upset that they weren’t informed, and hurt that they weren’t trusted with the information, but they were also glad he wasn’t dead and they understood, somewhat, the concept of following orders like Coulson had done.

Obviously their shared look lasted a little too long for Skye to be comfortable with as she sighed loudly a moment later, “Look, the two of you are part of Coulson’s family, whether you still think you are or not, and seeing as how Coulson’s basically like a father to me and that makes _us_ a sort-of family,” she pointed between the three of them as she spoke, “I’m just going to come right out and say it, Coulson deserves a second chance,” she paused and scanned their faces, not even flinching at the cold look Natasha was giving her (which wasn’t an actual indication of how Natasha felt, but rather a test of Skye to determine her capabilities), “He didn’t ask for what happened to him and he doesn’t deserve the cold shoulder from the two of you.”

“He could have told us he was still alive,” Natasha was using her predatory voice, the one she used to lull her prey into a false sense of security while simultaneously warning them of the imminent danger.

To Clint’s surprise and amusement it didn’t seem to work on Skye, “Sure he could have,” she agreed with a roll of her eyes at Natasha’s antics, “But he didn’t; and how he’s trying to fix things as best he can. We can play the what if game all we want, ask all those questions of whether or not he would have ever come forward if Steve and I weren’t soulmates,” a small warm blush touched the younger woman’s cheeks at the mention of Steve that made Clint want to smile at her, but he resisted, “But the fact is we’ll never know and asking those questions won’t get us anywhere,” she shrugged, her hands lifting with the gesture, “What happens next is what’s important. Will you allow Coulson the chance to talk to you? Or are you both willing to throw a member of your family away for a mistake that wasn’t his to make?”

Natasha’s eyes found Clint’s and they communicated in silence for a few minutes before Clint nodded, “Alright,” he agreed, “He can stop by here and we can all go to the party together,” he decided.

Natasha nodded her head and gave Skye a tilted look, “Tell us about Jemma Simmons while we wait,” she requested.

Skye’s eyes narrowed for a moment, switching from looking at Natasha to looking at Clint curiously, “You’re nervous,” she commented as she studied Clint, “But Jemma’s name makes you excited and anxious…” she trailed off thoughtfully.

“How do you know—“ Clint frowned, shaking his head and cutting himself off before he gave too much away. If Skye found out his secret, it likely wouldn’t remain a secret much longer, “What are you talking about?”

The younger woman contemplated him carefully for a moment longer before explaining, “Everything moves,” she told them, “even people. And when people feel different things their body vibrates different,” her head tilted a little, “I’ve figured out which vibrations match which emotions for the most part, and your vibrations when I say Jemma’s name…” she smirked as she received whatever reaction she was talking about, “tells me that you…” her eyes widened with realization, “You’re—“ her wide eyes turned to Natasha for a moment before looking back at Clint.

“What?” Clint felt a surge of panic spike through his chest, Skye couldn’t know! She could give everything away! He shot a frantic look at Natasha requesting help, but the crazy woman just smirked at him and leant back, seemingly amused by the situation.

“You’re her soulmate!” Skye declared, “You’re Jemma’s soulmate! But…” she trailed off her mind visibly racing as she tried to piece together a puzzle with pieces Clint wasn’t even aware of, “She doesn’t know,” she decided, “You know you’re her soulmate but she doesn’t,” she frowned, “Why doesn’t she know?”

Clint tried to shake his head, to deny the whole thing but Natasha interjected before he could voice any denials, “Because Clint’s scared he’s not good enough for her,” she outted him (he’s pretty sure there was a menacing sort of glee in her eyes as she did so, traitor), “He met her seven years ago and she said her words to him, but she left before he could say anything back and he managed to talk himself out of finding her to say his words to her.”

Skye stared between the two of them for a long moment before stating, “Coulson knew,” she didn’t sound pleased, “Of course he knew, you three were close, incredibly close, there was no way you didn’t tell him,” she shook her head and paced a few steps away before turning back around, “Jemma is going to be pissed,” she stated, “Coulson will never hear the end of it.”

“You can’t tell her!” Clint burst out, “Please, you can’t tell Jemma.” (Man he loved her name on his lips.)

Hands lifting to her hips Skye frowned, “Why not?” she thrust her hand out at him, “She deserves to know that her Avengers crush, who, for the record, she’s practically in love with and constantly waxing poetic about—your arms are a big selling point for her, btw—is actually her _soulmate_ , and that all that need-to-be-near-him stuff she’s put down as a potential mental disorder that could lead to some serious issues with stalking is actually just her half of the soulbond attempting to form.”

How was it that with one really long, flippant, offhanded statement this woman he’d just met a week ago made was enough to quiet all the fears he’d accumulated over the years?

“Really?” was all he could think to say, “She really…She thinks…I’m her favorite… _Really?_ ” and apparently stutter. It was embarrassing.

Skye and Natasha shared an amused look that told Clint all he needed to know about whether or not he ever wanted to be on Skye’s bad side (not that he’d wanted to brave it before, but now with Natasha sharing _looks_ with her that would have to be a firm _no—BAD IDEA_ ).

“Yes, really,” Skye mocked with a small smirk, “Look, will she be upset that you didn’t tell her all those years ago? Maybe, I can’t say for sure, but I do know that Jemma is a beautiful person who deserves her happily ever after.”

“And if I can’t give that to her?” Clint exclaimed, exasperated and desperate for Skye to understand.

She seemed to understand just fine, he realized, she just didn’t think it was an actual possibility, “And what if you can?” she retorted, “You’ll never know unless you try. She deserves to have you try.”

“My father was abusive,” Clint found himself sharing, hoping it would help her to understand, “he and my mother were soulmates and his favorite pastime was beating her until one day she just didn’t get back up. He _killed_ her, and they were bonded,” he shook his head, “And my brother found his soulmate, bonded with her, knocked her up and then dropped her in my lap only to come back every few years to knock her up again, she has three kids now but she lives in hiding because of what not only Barney’s enemies could do to her, but my enemies as well. I’ve never seen a working soulbond, I don’t even know if I’m capable of it.”

Skye seemed to contemplate this new information, silently studying him before she moved a few feet closer, completely ignoring Natasha now, though Natasha was watching them both with interest (Clint wasn’t one for sharing like that usually), “I grew up in foster homes all over the country,” she told him, “It wasn’t the circus,” she gave him a look that told him Coulson had shared that piece of information with her, “but it wasn’t easy. The majority of the families I stayed with could care less about the kids they were keeping and most of them had marital problems that involved domestic abuse. I never had the opportunity to see a true soulbond until I was a teenager.”

She went silent for a moment, obviously lost in memories Clint couldn’t see, “Did Fury mention that I was an 0-8-4?” she asked seemingly out of nowhere. When Clint shook his head (no, that particular puzzling piece of information had never been shared with them), “I was found in the middle of a massacred village in China by a team of SHIELD agents. Some of them were killed soon after, the ones who weren’t are currently AWOL and living on the run,” she swallowed and shifted a little uncomfortably, “They placed me in an orphanage and gave instructions for me to never be allowed to stay in one place for longer than three months. This family, the ones with the true soulbond, they managed to keep me for five before I was taken away from them.”

Her eyes lifted from a quick glance down at her knotting fingers to look at him, “Before I saw the two of them together, the way they acted with one another the way they just… _loved_ one another, I thought like you did, that it wasn’t possible for me, that I’d never had any proof that something like that was actually _possible_ , let alone a desirable thing to have,” she shrugged and shook her head, “I…I asked them once, how they managed to have what they have…how I could have something like it in my own life,” she smiled a little, “Their answer was not to be afraid of having it, to be confident in who I am and to know what I am capable of and to know what I want. If I wanted a true soulbond like theirs I had to work to make it possible. And now with Steve…”

She shook her head and went silent. A minute later she looked up at him with a clear sheen to her eyes that (oddly enough) made him want to comfort her with a hug, “With Steve I was terrified I was never going to get that. I wasn’t going to be able to hold up my side of the bond if I was keeping all those secrets from him. I got lucky, I had friends and people willing to step in to make it possible,” she smiled down at her fingers for a moment before looking back at him, “And while our bond is still forming…it is the most beautiful and…and the most perfect thing I’ve ever felt. Despite what I’d been told, I had still feared that something like that just…wasn’t possible for me, but I took a chance, I gave _Steve_ a chance and together we’ve managed to start something that I think…that I _know_ ,” she amended firmly, “will last forever.”

Clint shifted in place, unsure of how he was expected to react to her story. Part of him wanted to nod and agree to do as she suggested, but the other part, the one he’d lived with for most of his life, was determined he would never trap someone with him with a soulbond only to have him turn on them down the road.

“Clint,” Skye’s voice was soft as it broke through his thoughts, “I know your scared,” she gave him a knowing smile and shake of her head when he went to disagree (more out of instinct than pride or anything else), “But you are a good man who has dedicated your life to protecting people. You’ve seen and done more than anyone could even begin to realize; you’ve earned the right to have a happily ever after. But!” her hand lifted to stop his counterargument, “Jemma has the same right. She is a good person, a beautiful person and she’s dedicated herself to helping people in the same way you protect them. She has the right to know her soulmate and to decide for herself if he is the kind of guy she wants to stay with. You have _no right_ to keep that from her.”

He wanted to believe her, to listen and trust that she knew Jemma well enough, but still… “I can’t hurt her,” he whispered earnestly, “I can’t. It would destroy me.”

“Then don’t,” Skye said simply, “That’s all there is to it, just… _don’t_.”

Viciously biting his lower lip Clint shook his head in frustration and turned to pace a few steps away, “It’s not that easy Skye,” he disagreed, “I don’t exactly think most soulmates start out with the intent to hurt their other half.”

Skye shrugged, “Maybe, maybe not. But I can see that every part of you wants to protect her, I can sense that you are actually _vibrating_ with the need to keep her safe, and I’ve seen the darkness of the words on her arm that tells me how protective you will be of her,” she didn’t move any closer but it suddenly felt like the whole apartment was a whole lot smaller, “And that desire to protect her is what you need to focus on, not the what ifs and maybes,” she did take a step forward this time, her eyes hardening a little, “You also need to be aware that Jemma is surrounded by people who would _never_ allow you to hurt her the way you fear you might. I’d be willing to bet even your own team wouldn’t hesitate to put you in your place if you ever tried.”

Clint stared at her silently, not disagreeing or arguing, his mind turning over the possibilities and scenarios at a rapid pace. He still hadn’t come to a decision when the 1960’s Captain America cartoon theme song started playing from somewhere.

Grimacing apologetically Skye opened her clutch to pull out her phone to answer it, “DC!” she greeted, her voice warm, “We were just talking about you,” her head turned to stare at the door, “Uh-huh,” she nodded, glancing at Clint and Natasha before speaking again, “No, they both say their willing to hear you out. Yep…uh-huh…” she looked at Clint then, “He’s just stepping out of the elevator,” she told him softly, “Yeah, the one on the right. Okay, yes sir,” she hung up and then there was a knock.

“Show time,” Natasha murmured, rising to her feet and moving to the door.

 


	2. Natasha Watches Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coulson's reunion with Clint and Natasha as told from Natasha's POV, also, Darcy makes an executive decision to make Clint talk to Jemma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is coming out so late today! I was intending to have it and another chapter to post, but that just didn't end up happening!
> 
> Any mistakes you find are mine, and mine alone. Headaches don't make for great editing.
> 
> Enjoy!

There were dozens of potential scenarios playing out in Natasha’s mind as she reached for the door handle. She’d only allowed herself to think of this reunion in passing over the last few days, not wanting to get too emotionally entangled in things that couldn’t be helped. But the question of how she would react to seeing her old friend and handler, how Clint would react, how _Coulson_ would react had been a constant in her mind since Tony first extended the invitation to Skye and her team to come and celebrate New Year’s Eve at the Tower with the Avengers and few close friends.

There was an oddly familiar knock on the left of the two doors that had Natasha glancing over her shoulder to share a look with Clint. He offered her a small nod when he caught her look and she turned and pulled the door open.

It took her several seconds longer than she was proud of to truly see the older man standing in front of her. With his dark blue shirt unbuttoned at the top with no tie, a black blazer and faded black jeans, it was immediately clear that this was not the Coulson she had come to know over her years at SHIELD. Her eyes found his, her expression flat and emotionless, his open and honest, and she realized as she searched his expression that while he may not _look_ exactly like the man she’d known and trusted, he was still that same man inside.

He was older, with a few more grey hairs than she remembered, and there more shadows in his gaze than there had been before, but it was him.

It was Phil Coulson.

She blinked once, and with a surge of emotion she’d been forcing back, she found herself pulling him into a tight hug. She felt him stiffen with surprise at her action at first but after a moment his hands lifted and pressed against her back, returning the hug.  She held on for a few seconds more as he carefully walked them back into the apartment and shut the door behind him before retreating. She looked at him for a long moment before her right hand lifted and smacked him across the face.

“Natasha!” Clint barked just as Natasha felt a hand wrap around her arm and yank her away from Coulson. Skye’s body appeared between her and Coulson, a warning glower on her face and her posture tense and battle ready.  Natasha frowned, internally praising the younger woman for her bravery in defending her family. While Natasha, Clint and Coulson were all more than aware that if she’d wanted Coulson truly harmed she would have used those few seconds to harm him—a little slap was hardly the worst she was capable of—Skye certainly wasn’t.

“It’s okay Skye,” Coulson soothed his protector, placing his one gloved hand on Skye’s shoulder, “I deserved that.”

Skye didn’t seem to agree, “You didn’t exactly ask for all of this to happen Coulson,” she retorted, her protective stare locked on Natasha, her stance unyielding.

“I went after Loki without backup,” Coulson’s eyes met Natasha’s pulling her green eyes from Skye, “and even after I’d discovered what had happened to me I still didn’t inform them I was still alive,” he smiled ruefully as he rubbed his cheek and jaw where she’d hit him, “I’m just glad a smack is all she did.”

Natasha finally broke the staring contest she’d been locked in with Skye to lift her stare to Coulson, “If I wanted you hurt, I would have hurt you,” she stated clearly, more for Skye’s benefit than anything else.

Coulson’s head nodded, “I know,” he swayed in place, a motion Natasha hadn’t realized she’d missed until she saw it again, “Skye, really, you can move now.”

Hesitating a moment longer, Skye gave Natasha one last look before stepping aside, “You could have warned me you were expecting the Black Widow to attack you,” she muttered as she shifted away from the door.

“Trust me little girl,” Natasha smirked, “If I’d attacked Coulson, you’d know it.”

 Skye arched an eyebrow at Natasha and grinned a toothy grin, “And if you attacked him, you’d be regretting it,” she replied with equal sweetness.

Natasha blinked once at the younger woman before finding herself unable to contain her mirth any longer, “You have backbone сестра,” she chuckled, “That’s good, you’ll need it in this life you’ve chosen.”

Skye rolled her eyes at Natasha, turning to watch as Clint and Coulson had their own silent staring contest. It broke a minute or two later when Clint finally spoke, “You owe me so many cases of beer it’s not even funny,” he stated, telling Natasha all she needed to know about how forgiving he was going to be. Turns out, Clint was in a forgiving mood today, lucky for Coulson.

Coulson’s lips quirked, “There are three cases of your favorite in the SUV we brought,” he assured the archer.

Clint nodded once, hesitated a moment longer, and stepped forward to pull Coulson into a tight hug, “I thought I killed you,” the words were soft enough that Natasha barely heard them.

“What happened to me and everyone else on that helicarrier was Loki’s fault,” Coulson gently rebuked as he pulled away, “You had no control—“

“I should have fought harder,” Clint interrupted, his voice and posture tense, “I should have—“

Skye looked as if she wanted to say something, but a brief flick of Coulson’s fingers that would have gone unnoticed by anyone who wasn’t looking stopped her. Instead she shifted in place and glanced over at Natasha. Tilting her head Natasha simply offered a small reassuring tilt of her lips as she watched Coulson finally reaffirm the words Natasha had been trying to make Clint believe since the moment he woke up from Loki’s spell.

“There was nothing you could have done different,” Coulson’s voice firmed in a tone Natasha wasn’t sure she’d ever heard before. It was solid and left no room for argument, which Clint must have noticed for his shoulders slumped and his head nodded once in agreement to at least agree to disagree for now.

There was silence between them for a long stretch before Clint took a deep breath, “So, Director huh?” he pasted a smile on his face they all knew was forced.

Coulson glanced at Skye briefly before nodding, “Yep,” he nodded, “That’s what they tell me,” his lips quirked a little and he rocked on his feet, “It definitely feels like I’m the director,” he shared a smile with Skye.

“He’s definitely got the grey hair to go with the job,” Skye commented.

There was an awkward tenseness that fell on the group before Coulson sighed, “Look,” he started, his fingers on his left hand spreading oddly as he shifted his weight, “I understand that for the last few years you’ve believed me dead, and I know that it will probably be difficult for you to forgive me for not informing you that I was still alive sooner, especially given how…close the three of us were,” his eyes met Natasha’s with so many emotions she struggled not to look away, to hide from them all, “But I would like the opportunity to try and regain your trust. Building a working relationship between SHIELD and the Avengers is all well and good but it doesn’t mean as much to me as rebuilding the trust that has been lost between us.”

Natasha felt Clint’s eyes on her, looking for her reaction but she waited a moment longer before pulling her stare from Coulson to return the look. Communicating without words and with only the smallest facial ques she held a full conversation with her oldest friend, “I don’t think there is much work to be done,” Natasha finally spoke for the both of them, “Yes, we were upset when we heard that you were still alive and had not tried to tell us, and yes, our trust has been shaken because of it but…”

“But we know you, Phil,” Clint took over, “And we know how important trusting the system was to you.”

For some reason this caused Skye to duck her head and clear her throat self-consciously as Coulson sent her an ironic look, “Believe me, Skye’s done a pretty good job of breaking me of that particular habit,” he told them, “Our team nearly lost Fitz and…Ward during a mission because I placed too much trust in the system. And then Fury and May and Hand and HYDRA,” he shook his head, “After everything I could have come to you and your team, explained everything, Hill wanted even encouraged me to,” he glanced at Skye again briefly before shaking his head, “But I couldn’t leave my people to be interrogated like criminals and hunted like animals. There were too many good SHIELD agents still in need of help, I couldn’t just abandon them. And every day I went without telling you it became less likely you’d forgive me, but it also became less of an issue in my mind.”

Natasha found herself pinned by Coulson’s expressive stare as he spoke. It was odd, when she’d first met Phil Coulson the man had been nearly unreadable; he was just another worker bee in the sea of worker bees at SHIELD. As she got to know the man she’d seen beyond the mask to the intelligent and often deadly man beneath. This man before her now, however, he was open in ways the man she’d known never considered being. He was a visible threat, but he was also laid back and relaxed in a way she’d never seen.

It was a pleasant sight to see.

“ _Yar-Har-Fiddle-Dee-Dee, being a pirate is alright with me! Do what you want ‘cause a pirate is free, you are a pirate!”_ the odd words interrupted their conversation, blaring from Skye’s phone.

All eyes turned to look at her and her cheeks flushed red as she lifted her phone, “Sorry,” she muttered.

“You’re still using that song as Fury’s ringtone?” Coulson chuckled, “I thought he told you to change it.”

Skye rolled her eyes, “Fury takes himself too seriously sometimes, someone has to keep him humble,” she stated, waving the phone at them before pressing the button to answer, “What up Nick?” she popped the p and smirked at Coulson’s fondly exasperated look, “Uh, yeah, they were just…getting reacquainted,” she rolled her eyes as she listened to whatever Fury was saying on the other line, “Uh…moral support? I’m not sure why I’m here to be honest…Sure thing, we’ll get right on that…of course that was sarcasm you heard Nick,” she mocked, “You can go ahead and try to leave the party if you want, but be warned, all it takes is a few buttons and Darcy will be made fully aware of your status as a deserter,” Skye’s grin turned wicked, “Of course I had to bring her up, she’s my new favorite not-so-secret weapon! Who knew a bunch of superheroes and uppity former-directors would be so terrified of my newest best friend?”

“Wait,” Clint spoke over Skye’s continued banter with Fury, pulling Natasha and Coulson’s attention to him, “Does she seriously have a pirate song set up as Fury’s ringtone?”

Coulson smirked, “I was upset when I found out about what Fury had done to bring me back,” he told them, “But Skye,” he shot the younger woman an affectionate look, “she was livid. While she showed her gratitude to Fury for pulling Jemma and Fitz out of the water, she made sure to put the fear of the gods into Fury the next time they met for what he’d done to me.”

Natasha could practically feel the blood draining from Clint’s face but she looked anyway, “Out of the water?” Clint repeated, his voice tense but quiet.

Nodding his head once, Coulson seemed to think nothing of what he’d just said, “Yeah, Ward caught Fitz and Simmons and had locked them in a medical containment unit on the Bus. Garrett gave him orders to kill them both, so he dropped the unit in the middle of the ocean. Fitz was able to rig some sort of distress beacon out of whatever they had inside the unit, but they eventually had to make a break for the surface or risk dying on the bottom of the ocean. There was only enough air for one of them to have it, so Jemma took it and used it to drag Fitz to the surface. Fury showed up and pulled them both out of the water but by that time Fitz had gone several minutes without oxygen. It’s amazing he’s managed to recover as well as he has in the last few years.”

During the story Clint had grown increasingly pale until he finally stumbled back a few steps until his legs hit the overstuffed chair nearby, “Jemma,” he breathed, his eyes lifting to meet Natasha’s, “She…is Jemma alright?”

Coulson frowned, seeming confused by Clint’s reaction, “Jemma is fine,” he reassured Clint, “Are you? What’s wrong?” he looked as if he wanted to extend help but wasn’t sure how it would be received.

“Jemma’s his soulmate,” Skye stated, her phone gone from her hands. She moved briskly around Coulson to stand by Clint’s side, her hands reaching out without hesitation to steady the archer, “Of course he’s a little shocked by what you’ve just told him,” she sounded scolding.

A quick look at Coulson told Natasha all she needed to know, “You didn’t know,” she realized.

Coulson’s grey-blue eyes locked with hers and he shook his head, his lips parting with surprise, “No, I didn’t know that,” he confirmed, “Why didn’t I know that? How long have you known?” he gestured to Clint, his expression bewildered.

Clint frowned, “I told you the day I met her,” he returned, some color returning to his face, “It was when we were visiting the academy—“

“Yes, I remember you saying you’d met your soulmate and that she was a scientist, but you never said her name!” Coulson interrupted, his hand flew up and ran over his head in a quick agitated movement, “I’d have made sure to keep you in the loop if I’d known that a member of my team was your soulmate, forget Fury’s orders! I didn’t just inform the Avengers of SHIELD for Skye, I’d have done it for Jemma too, or any member of my team!”

“Well that’s good,” Skye hummed a moment later, causing Coulson’s head to whip around so he could glare at her.

“Good?” he echoed, “Good how? How is that good Skye?”

Straightening her spine to give herself a stronger stance Skye frowned at Coulson, obviously not pleased with his unnecessary irritation with her (and Natasha had to give her props for not backing down from a glare that had sent lesser agents crying back in the day), “Good because that means Jemma won’t be pissed at you for keeping her soulmate’s identity a secret for all these years,” she stated, “Now be cool DC,” she gently shoved Coulson’s shoulder, “Clint’s just been given a small shock in finding out how close his soulmate came to dying, you need to give him a minute.”

There was a short pause before Clint shook his head, “I told you not to trust him,” his voice was low and automatically put Natasha on alert, “I told you there was something _wrong_ with Ward. But you didn’t listen, and it almost got my _soulmate killed_ ,” he rose to his feet, a dark look on his face.

To Coulson’s credit he didn’t move back in fear as most people would have when faced with Clint’s anger, “It wasn’t my choice to put Ward on my team,” he defended himself, “Fury wanted the best SHIELD had to offer and after the two of you and May, that was Ward. He passed every test—“

“Except the instinctive warning system that Tasha and I both shared,” Clint retorted, “The same instincts you were constantly telling us to listen to were screaming at us not to trust Ward, and we told you so, way back when Garrett recruited him straight out of juvie,” his finger jammed into Coulson’s chest, “But you didn’t listen!”

Skye stepped forward protectively but Natasha caught her eye to tell her to back down, Clint and Coulson needed to work this out themselves.

“And there is barely a day that goes by where I don’t regret that mistake,” Coulson snapped back, his shoulders squaring. It was then that Natasha realized that the unyielding and hard man Coulson had been before was still there, hidden behind his more relaxed venire. It was obviously not a state of mind he preferred anymore, but it still existed and it still held enough sway over Clint to make him take a step back, “There is not a member of my team he has not harmed, and every member of my team has tried to kill him in the past,” even Natasha blinked in surprise at that, even little Jemma? “But Grant Ward was skilled at making people trust him, it was what he _did_ because he was a psychopath—“

“Which I warned you about—“

“I know that!” Coulson shouted, “I know you warned me, and I know I should have listened! I know I shouldn’t have just trusted the system, and I know that I should have brought you in on everything a long time ago! But the fact is, I didn’t. I didn’t do any of that—“

Skye had apparently heard enough, “Okay, enough,” she ordered, her voice hard and unwavering. She stared Coulson down for a moment, communicating silently with him before turning to Clint, “Has Coulson made mistakes in the past? Yes, of course he has and you want to know why? Because he’s human. He makes judgement calls and sometimes they’re wrong, sometimes they blow up in his face, but more often than not he is right. Ward was…he was a special case, an exception. Had you spent any time with him you would know what I mean, he had this…gift to become anything and everything you needed him to be,” her eyebrows pulled inward as she formed her words thoughtfully, “He was messed up, and lonely, and we both went against our better judgement and trusted him.”

“He nearly killed Jemma,” Clint spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

Nodding, Skye’s hand came to rest on Clint’s bicep, right over Jemma’s words, “And Jemma nearly killed him,” she returned, “Don’t think for a second that your soulmate is a whimpering, cowering damsel in distress,” her voice turned a little pointed, “Ward, ironically enough, has made us all stronger; Jemma is fine now, so is Fitz, you need to focus on that and _not_ the mistakes that were made in the past. You were right, Coulson should never have trusted Ward, but hindsight is a fantastic thing if you _weren’t there_. Cut him some slack; don’t let this ruin your night.”

Silence stretched between them all for a long moment and Skye’s eyes flickered between all three of them for a moment before relaxing as she caught Natasha’s miniscule nod of approval, “Are we good here?” she checked, her finger wagging between the four of them.

“Yeah,” Clint gave first, “we’re good.”

Coulson seemed to relax then, “For what it’s worth, I am truly sorry for all the mistakes I’ve made in these last few years.”

“You’re forgiven,” Natasha chose that moment to speak, “And while you have made mistakes,” her eyes shifted knowingly to Skye, “You seem to have more than made up for them.”

Coulson glanced over at Skye with a soft familial smile, “I keep trying,” he murmured, “Skye keeps me on the straight and narrow, she’s better at making sure I listen to her than anyone I’ve ever known.”

“And considering he knows the Calvary that is saying something,” Clint chuckled, “Good for you kid,” he nodded to Skye. He shifted in place and Natasha had to hide her knowing smirk, he was antsy to see for himself that his soulmate was fine. Conveniently Jemma was only four floors away, the hard part would be convincing him he actually needed to _talk_ to the poor girl rather than just watch her all night.

“And now that things here have been resolved,” Skye’s arm looped through Coulson’s, “I’ve been told by a very reliable source that there’s a party going on upstairs,” she pointed at Clint, “And you have a soulmate to introduce yourself to,” her hand spread out in a stop-talking motion, “No arguments, you tell her or I will,” her eyes narrowed meaningfully, “She’s more than earned the right to decide for herself if she wants you in her life. Risks and all.”

Coulson tilted his head, “Risks?” he repeated, “You mean beyond the typical risks of being the soulmate of an Avenger?”

Skye sighed and nodded, “Clint’s worried he’ll meet Jemma and suddenly start to turn into his father, or his brother, neither of which were very good soulbond role models.”

Clint scowled at Skye who smirked at him, but it was Coulson who spoke first, “Clint? _This_ Clint?” he pointed to the man in question, “This Clint who refused to raid that base in Belarihm because there were too many women and children left behind as cannon fodder who couldn’t fight but were expected to if they wanted to live? This Clint who once bought out an entire ice cream store to feed an orphanage for a month? This Clint, who brought home so many stray animals he wound up homeless himself more often than not because it breached the terms of his rental agreements? This Clint, who takes in stray teens and teaches them how to protect themselves? This Clint, who was a hero long before he was an Avenger or even a SHIELD agent? You honestly think this Clint is _capable_ of even _considering_ injuring his soulmate for anything less than the end of world?”

Natasha smirked as Clint’s ears grew more and more red with every recounted example, “Neither of us are particularly concerned about him hurting her,” she commented with a nod at Skye, “That doesn’t keep him from worrying though.”

“How about this,” Coulson straightened his posture and pulled on his most intimidating mask, “You will not hurt Jemma Simmons, Clinton Francis Barton, that’s an order,” he loomed, “If you do, there will be no corner of this earth or any other realm where I will not hunt you down and _end_ you,” he glared for a moment until Clint actually shifted uneasily, “Are we clear?”

“Yes sir!” Clint snapped to attention, nearly moving into a salute before he stopped himself, “Crystal clear…sir.”

Coulson stared him down a second longer before relaxing and smiling easily, “Then let’s go introduce you to your soulmate,” he turned and guided Skye out of the apartment. Clint and Natasha remained behind for a moment before sharing a look and following them.

“He’s changed,” Clint murmured as he pulled the door open for them both.

“For the better,” Natasha agreed, “But he can still stare you down,” she shot him a smirk, “Wimp,” and a wink.

Clint rolled his eyes and followed her into the elevator where Skye and Coulson were waiting, “Communal floor please JARVIS,” Clint requested.

The doors closed and a few minutes later they were stepping out of the elevator and into a party.  Almost immediately a young, Latina woman appeared directly in front of them making Clint flinch back, Coulson blink and Natasha stiffen, “Hey Skye!” she greeted, making Natasha realize the younger woman hadn’t even blinked at the sudden appearance, “You’ll never guess who I just met!” she squeaked with a wide grin, “Quicksliver!” her hands clapped, “You’ll never believe what he—“ and then the girl suddenly disappeared.

Skye sighed and shook her head with a fondly exasperated smile, “Someday she’ll remember she needs to not speed somewhere if she wants to stay more than a few seconds.”

“She lasted longer in one place this time than she has before though,” Coulson commented, his eyes scanning the room, his eyes locking on Tony.

Natasha felt a warm arm slide around her waist and turned to find Sam smiling down at her. Ignoring Coulson and Skye as they moved off towards Tony, she offered her soulmate a small smile in return as he bent down to press a soft kiss to her forehead, “How’d it go?” he asked, his lips moving against her ear as he nuzzled the side of her head.

She shrugged, relaxing into him, “About as good as expected,” she replied softly, “He’s not the same man Clint and I both knew, but…it’s a good different,” she shrugged, unsure of how to explain, “How are things up here?”

Sam hummed a little, glancing around at the mingling Avengers and SHIELD personnel, “Fine,” he decided, “Tony snagged the Fitz guy pretty much the second he stepped out of the elevator and that big dude has been hovering over the both of them ever since,” he gestured to where Tony, Fitz and a tall man were all chatting with Coulson and SKye, “Jane, Bruce, and…Simmons? I believe her name was, have been talking Science! over there,” he indicated the three in question, “Bucky and Darcy have been cuddling in the corner, he’s having an off night and she’s keeping him company, and Steve has pretty much been making cow eyes at the elevator for most of the night.”

Sure enough, once Natasha spotted Steve it was as he was crossing the floor, his eyes locked on Skye. The younger woman’s eyes seemed to be pulled to him instinctively and her whole countenance lit up as she spotted him.  Once Steve was close enough, she pulled away from Coulson to fold herself into Steve’s arms. Steve stooped and stole a lingering kiss from her before pulling back and grinning dopily at her. The two of them spoke for a moment before Skye shifted around to Steve’s side to wave Coulson over.

Natasha didn’t bother to hide the smirk that crossed her lips as she watched Steve stand at attention as Coulson stared him down, coming off as the stereotypical protective father figure, “That seems to be going well,” she muttered, turning in Sam’s arms to loop her arm around his waist, “Now if only we could get Barton to pull his head out of his—“

“Talking about me Tash?” Clint spoke up, appearing at her side with a glass of something in his hands.

Sam chuckled, “Only in passing,” he answered.

“No, not just in passing,” Natasha denied, “You need to go talk to her,” she narrowed her eyes at her best friend, “Now.”

Clint frowned, “I’m fine with waiting until she takes a break from talking Science! you know how Jane can get if she is interrupted.”

Natasha rolled her eyes and pulled away from Sam enough to grab his hand and tow him behind her as she crossed the room to the seating area, “Darcy,” she called her other best friend as she drew close to where Darcy sat on Bucky’s lap, “I have the most interesting piece of news,” she ignored Clint’s groan of protest and pushed Sam down onto the nearby sofa. Perching on Sam’s knee, one arm around his neck she grinned predatorily at Darcy’s look of intrigue. Bucky glanced between them and Clint cautiously before deciding to just stay out of it.

“Oh? Do tell!” Darcy squirmed eagerly, one hand waving for Natasha to go on while the other remained playing with Bucky’s hair.

“Natasha don’t,” Clint warned, his voice anxious, “If you tell her, I’ll make sure she finds out that thing that you don’t want her to know about,” he narrowed his eyes meaningfully, “You know, that time a few years ago at Tony’s mansion?”

Natasha knew immediately what he was talking about, but…she considered it briefly, it wasn’t enough to keep her from sharing Clint’s secret, “You tell her then,” she suggested, “You have thirty seconds.”

She sat back, her back pressed against Sam’s chest and waited. She knew and Clint knew that the likelihood of Clint actually coming clean to Darcy was very low, but they also both knew that Natasha wasn’t joking around, she’d tell Darcy and Darcy would make things happen.

Darcy shifted and her eyes flitted between Clint and Natasha before landing on Sam, “What are they talking about son-of-Wil?” she prodded her co-Avenger Wrangler.

Sam shrugged, “I’ve got no idea Darcy-girl,” he settled back into the sofa, his hands moving to pull Natasha back against him. She allowed him to pull her closer and felt something in her settle as one of his hands rested high on her thigh and the other moved to trace up and down her bare back in soothing patterns. She felt him press a soft kiss to her shoulder and counted a few extra seconds before arching an eyebrow at Clint who simply groaned again in resignation.

“You see that girl over there talking Science! with Jane and Bruce?” Natasha turned to Darcy.

Darcy’s wide eyes glanced over to the woman in question, as did Sam and Bucky’s, “Yeah?” she confirmed, “Jemma right?”

Natasha nodded once, “Jemma, as it turns out, is Clint’s soulmate.”

Sam’s soothing motions came to a complete halt as did Bucky and Darcy, “Soulmate?” Darcy repeated, her voice deceptively soft. When Natasha nodded once more, she turned her head to stare at Clint, “Soulmate?!” her voice was a little higher pitch than before, “Why didn’t you tell me you’d found your soulmate? I thought we were best bros! What gives Feather-head?”

Sam snorted in amusement at the random nickname like he always did, “And why aren’t you with her right now?” he asked his own question.

Shifting so that she could lace her fingers with Sam’s hand on her thigh, Natasha smirked, “Because she doesn’t know he’s her soulmate,” she dug Clint’s hole a little deeper, taking deep pleasure in his embarrassment.

“What?” Darcy shrilled, her eyebrows nearly arching off her forehead, “How can she not know?”

Bucky’s voice was soft but knowing when he spoke next, “He never said his words to her,” he commented, “She probably said hers to him, but he either never got the opportunity to reciprocate or he chose not to.”

Darcy’s eyebrows pulled back down into a suspicious look, “It better have been the first option,” she muttered, “Clint? What do you have to say for yourself?”

Clint sighed, fiddling uselessly with the collar of his leather jacket before scratching the back of his head, “Apparently everyone has more conviction about the fact that I’d never hurt my soulmate than I do,” he stated, “I’ve stayed away to protect her, not just from my enemies and whatever, but from…you know…me.”

Silence stretched between the five of them for a moment before Darcy’s eyes caught on someone over Natasha’s shoulder, “Agent iPod-stealer,” she greeted with a grin, rising from her seat on Bucky’s lap to wrap Coulson up in a large Darcy-hug, “I had the strangest feeling you weren’t actually dead,” she pulled back but kept her hands on his shoulders, “I think I’m currently in possession of your old job as Avengers Handler,” she cocked her head at him, “Want it back? These crazies make herding cats seem like a cinch.”

Coulson smiled easily, “No thank you,” he shook his head, “You seem to be doing a good job of it already, why mess with perfection?”

“Hey!” Darcy’s grin only widened, “I used to say that to you all the time!” she gently slugged Coulson’s arm, “You _were_ listening!” she cooed dramatically, “Now tell me you had no idea that Clint’s soulmate was one of your people and you’ll be completely forgiven.”

“He had no idea,” Skye answered for Coulson, suddenly appearing by his side with Steve’s hand in hers, “I already checked, apparently he knew Clint had met a scientist at the Academy who was his soulmate, but no names had been given.”

Darcy’s eyes studied both of them for a moment before she nodded, “Alright then,” she came to a decision, “You,” she turned to Clint, “Come with me,” she grabbed his arm in a grip Natasha knew all too well was tighter than one would expect and nearly impossible to get out of without hurting the young woman, and began to pull.

Clint frowned, “Where are we going?” he asked cautiously.

Giving him a look that expressed her thoughts on his stupid question, Darcy huffed, “To introduce you to your soulmate,” she stated, “No!” she exclaimed, cutting off whatever words Clint was about to form, “Arguments,” she tapped his nose patronizingly and tugged harder until Clint was forced to either move with her or break free. Obviously not wanting to injure Darcy, Clint gave a sigh that gave away his tension and anxiety more than his fond frustration as he’d likely intended, and allowed himself to be towed behind the demanding woman.

Natasha watched them go with a smirk before catching Coulson’s thoughtfully amused expression, “Do you know that the best way to get Fury to do something is to threaten to sick Darcy on him if he doesn’t?” he offered.

“I believe it,” Sam hummed, his fingers resuming their earlier tracing on her back, “Darcy can be a force of nature when she puts her mind to it. There’s no one better suited for Avenger wrangling if you ask me.”

Coulson nodded with a congenial smile, “Phil Coulson,” he extended his hand.

Sam detached his hand from Natasha’s long enough to accept the hand shake, “Sam Wilson, aka Falcon,” he introduced himself, “I hear you have a cousin of mine on your team.”

“That would be me,” a tall African-American man appeared on Skye’s other side, seemingly out of nowhere, “Hey Sammy,” he chuckled moving towards Sam with a grin, “How’s it goin’?”

Natasha lifted herself so Sam could get up and return the greeting with more enthusiasm than she’d expected, “We all thought you were dead man,” he yanked the other man into his arms for a tight hug, “Only got the news a few weeks ago that you weren’t actually dead.”

The other man scratched at his ear as he pulled back with a helpless shrug, “To be fair, a lot of people thought I was dead,” he reassured Sam, “Even I thought it once or twice. Turns out I was just in a slightly different dimension,” he shrugged again.

“What?” Sam tilted his head, “Wanna try explainin’ that again?”

The younger man chuckled and shifted his weight, glancing over at Skye briefly before turning back to Sam, “I went through Terrigenesis like Skye did, but when my cocoon broke there was nothing left of me to see, I could see Skye and I could hear myself yelling at her, but she obviously couldn’t. It went on like that for nearly two weeks, I couldn’t interact with anything except food and water, and even then we think now it was only because that was a basic need that my Inhuman abilities instinctively made allowances for. I managed to talk to Skye before she helped me pull myself back into this dimension/plane of existence,” he smirked, “Now I can switch back and forth,” he suddenly disappeared, “without a problem.”

“Whoa,” Sam took an awed step back, his hand instinctively searching out Natasha’s, “Man that is…”

“Right?” the SHIELD agent reappeared again, “Oh, hey, you gonna introduce me to your girl?” he smiled winningly at Natasha.

Sam turned and smiled at her too, “Trip, this is Natasha, Nat, this is Antoine Tripplet, my cousin, he goes by Trip.”

Natasha nodded a greeting to Trip, “Nice to finally meet Sam’s childhood partner in crime,” she offered him a small mischievous smile, “We’ll have to get together soon to swap stories.”

Trip laughed, “That would be awesome,” he agreed, “I have more than a few I think you’d like.”

She smiled at him with intrigue for a moment before her eyes caught on Clint and Darcy’s forms finally reaching Jane, Bruce and Jemma, “Looks like Darcy’s really going to make him go through with it,” she commented, causing everyone’s heads to turn to watch as Darcy shoved Clint the last few feet and smoothly interrupted the conversation.

“It’s all up to Clint now,” Skye said, relaxing into Steve’s side, “Let’s just hope he doesn’t back out at the last second.”

Natasha smirked, “Don’t worry,” she reassured Skye, “Darcy won’t let that happen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm getting the feeling that the Clint/Jemma pairing is a lot more unconventional than I'd thought. How is everyone finding it so far? Believable? Have I sparked your interest?
> 
> More to come! Thanks for reading!


	3. Jemma Keeps Her Cool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint finally has that conversation with Jemma...Seven years later. Be cool Jemma, be cool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Last chapter of the For the Soul(mate) trilogy! Wow, this has been a crazy whirlwind. I started with an idea for Thanksgiving for the Soul(mate) and by the end of it I couldn't bare to leave Steve so lonely while his best friend was getting his happily ever after with Darcy. So I wrote a sequel where I realized there was someone else I needed to offer a happily ever after to which lead to this little story. 
> 
> For all of those who have stuck with me through all three stories, you are amazing and wonderful! 
> 
> And now the conclusion of our little story. Enjoy!

(Be cool Jemma, be cool, it’s only Jane Foster and Bruce Banner, they’re people too; be cool, don’t freak out, don’t freak—Is that Clint?)

The man in question just stepped out of the elevator with Skye, Coulson and a woman Jemma vaguely recognized as the Black Widow. His eyes scanned over the room quickly before zeroing in on Jemma (shoot, don’t look! Don’t look!). Her head whipped around and she forced a small laugh at something Bruce had said that Jane( she was on a first name basis with _Jane Foster,_ how was this her life?) was amused by. She felt Clint’s eyes on her back but forced herself not to look at him (she was embarrassing herself enough already, she didn’t need to exasperate the situation by looking longingly at Clint Barton). (But it had been nearly seven years…maybe just a little peek? What could it hurt?)

Her head moved slowly, trying to appear nonchalant (and pointedly ignoring a voice inside her head that sounded a lot like Skye reminding her that she was incapable of nonchalance). She scanned the room passively, humming and commenting in the conversation whenever it was called for until she finally located Clint again. He was now standing in the sitting area looking nervous and a little upset as he chatted with the Black Widow (was she sitting on the _Falcon’s lap_?), Skye, Steve (those two were absolutely adoarable together), Coulson, the Winter Soldier (what she wouldn’t give to have a look at his arm) and Darcy (who was both off-putting with her bluntness and hilarious, and it was quite obvious that even with Fury standing on the other side of the room, she was the one in charge).

“Jemma?” Bruce’s concerned voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her attention back to him.

“Sorry,” she apologized with a nervous laugh as she pulled her eyes away from Clint, worried she’d actually offended him (offending the Hulk was not high on her list of things she wanted to do before she died) only to find him watching her with an amused glint in his eye.

Bruce shared a smile with Jane before speaking to Jemma again, “You should go talk to him, Clint could always use a few more friends to keep him grounded,” he suggested.

Jemma squeaked, it was unintentional but couldn’t be helped, “Talk to him?” she repeated, (because that would go over well, how would she even start that conversation, oh, hey, superhero crush of mine, I just thought I’d let you know that--)

“He’s a nice man, he wouldn’t turn you away,” Jane added, interrupting Jemma’s thoughts, “Just don’t let him fool you, he’s actually pretty smart on top of being an attractive male specimen,” Jane sent a look over at Clint, eyeing him appreciatively, “Brains and biceps,” she sighed exaggeratedly.

Forcing back another embarrassed squeak, Jemma felt her face turn red as Bruce chuckled at her reactions, “I don’t—I’m not sure what you think—“

“And it seems to me,” Bruce murmured thoughtfully, thankfully putting an end to her stuttering, “that he’s been staring at you since he stepped out of that elevator,” his warm friendly eyes trailed back to Jemma, “And I can’t say as though I blame him, you do look very lovely tonight.”

Jemma glanced down at the purple lattice strap back dress Skye had insisted she wear, feeling self-conscious and wishing the sleeves were just a few inches longer so she could pull them over her hands, “Thank you,” she accepted the compliment.

“Purple happens to be Clint’s favorite color too,” Jane commented, “Probably another reason why he can’t take his eyes off of you.”

Feeling her blush darken Jemma shook her head, “There’s probably something on my face,” she denied. But then her eyes widened, “You would tell me if there was something on my face wouldn’t you?” her hand lifted to wipe at her cheeks but Bruce caught her arm halfway there.

“There’s nothing on your face Jemma,” he reassured her with an amused grin, “Relax.”

“Oh look,” Jane murmured, her voice intrigued and pleased, “it looks like Darcy’s bringing him over here for an introduction.”

Jemma felt her eyes widen and she squeaked again, looking frantically around for an exit or an escape. Finding none she tried to think of an excuse to leave the area but one look at her companions and their knowing expressions told her nothing she came up with (is that a squirrel? Oh, look, a…plant… if you’ll excuse me, I think my mother is trying to--no, definitely none of those) would be enough to help her make an escape. Closing her eyes in resignation (oh, this was happening now wasn’t it?) she felt her hands begin to shake.

It had been _seven years_ , seven years was…well it was a long time.

“Hey guys,” Darcy’s increasingly familiar voice spoke from just behind her, “If I could interrupt your Science!discussion,” (that was something rather odd she’d noticed everyone in the Tower did when talking about Jane, Bruce and Tony and their scientific research, they made it sound as if the word were to be capitalized and set apart from the rest of the conversation for some reason), “I happen to have need of both you and Bruce over in the…that,” Darcy gestured somewhere vaguely, “area,” she latched onto Jane’s arm and tugged.

Jane and Bruce shared another amused smirk before saying their goodbyes to Jemma until with one last wink, they were gone. Jemma frowned after them, shifting in place (why had she agreed to let Skye put her in such a revealing dress on top of these stupid heels again?)before nervously turning to glance at Clint (don’t freak out, don’t freak out, don’t freak out!).

He was watching her with an unreadable expression on his face (be cool, be cool, be cool, you are calm and collected; he doesn’t need to know you are _freaking out_ on the inside now does he?), finally she decided to make the first move (it had been seven years of waiting for this moment and suddenly she couldn’t take the anticipation anymore), “Hi,” she sent him a shaky smile, “I’m Jemma,” her hand rose to reach for his.

He stared at it, and then at her for a moment longer before lifting his hand to envelope hers (his hands were huge! And callused, and very, very warm). He seemed to make a decision as his hand squeezed hers, sending sparks racing through her veins, “ **I’m Clint** ,” he started, (here we go) “ **Your soulmate. Which, I know, sounds weird for me to say, but I’ve been waiting seven long years to say it. I don’t know if you remember, but we met about seven years ago. I was in the lab visiting with your friend about some trick arrows and you wandered in and said my words. You left before I could respond and disappeared before I even really managed to pull my thoughts together** ,” he took a deep breath, his eyes unwavering from hers, staring at her with an intensity that would be unnerving if it didn’t sent warmth racing through her, “ **I didn’t say anything after that because I was terrified that I might hurt you on accident or you might run if I ever actually told you who I was an what it was I did for SHIELD. But now, here you are at this party looking so beautiful and I just couldn’t stay away anymore** ,” his eyes widened, “ **Crap** ,” he hissed, “ **and that’s all written on your body somewhere isn’t it? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to give you such a long--** “

“I know,” she interrupted him, finally putting a stop to the long winded paragraph she had scrawled across her lower back in bold spiky print.

Clint stilled, his eyes widening a little, “You…what?”

“I know,” Jemma repeated, still very much aware that he hadn’t let go of her hand yet, “I know you’re my soulmate.”

He frowned and shifted his weight, seemingly unaware of that same fact, “How can you know that?” his tone was disbelieving.

She lifted an eyebrow at him, “Everything you just said was written on my back,” she reminded him, “I’ve known my whole life that I would be the first one of us to say my words to you but that I’d have to wait seven years after that before you would say your words to me. You were pretty detailed on the who you are and how we met parts too, so it wasn’t hard to piece together the fact that Clint Barton, a former SHIELD agent who’s preferred weapon is a bow and arrow, is my soulmate.”

Clint stared at her in silence for an awkward moment, “You knew? This whole time,” he couldn’t seem to move past that part.

Smiling a little with the realization that she wasn’t the only one handling this awkwardly she nodded, “Yes,” she answered simply. Reluctantly she pulled her hand from his so she could turn and reveal her back to him, “Your words are written near the small of my back,” she told him, knowing the dress back revealed enough that he would be able to see most of the words.

She waited for him to say something for a minute before she startled as she suddenly felt the heat of his hand brushing over his words, “Sorry,” he murmured, but to her surprise he didn’t pull away, instead his fingers continued to trace over the words for a while, sending chills racing through her skin, “I’m sorry I didn’t come to you sooner,” he apologized softly, his hand pulling away.

Jemma turned with a slight frown on her face, “Why didn’t you?” she asked, genuinely curious, “I’m not upset with you, if you’re worried about that, I’m just curious.”

His eyes lifted from where they’d been staring at her stomach as if he could see her words through her skin to meet her own, “I…haven’t exactly had the best examples of successful soulbonds in my life,” he sighed, “My father was abusive to the point that he wound up killing my mom when I was little,” he shifted a little, looking uncomfortable, “And my brother abandoned his soulmate in favor of a life of crime,” his stare dropped to the floor for a second before lifting to look at her again, “I didn’t want to be like that with you.”

Everything in her was screaming at her to reach out and touch him somehow, so after a lengthy internal debate, she did. Taking a step closer to him she took his hand and held it between both of hers, “You won’t be,” she reassured him, her heart aching for him, “You hold the other half of my soul,” she shrugged, “I don’t think you’d ever intentionally hurt me.”

He shook his head immediately, “Not intentionally, no,” he agreed, turning his hand enough in hers to offer hers a tight squeeze, “But I didn’t want to risk turning out to be just like them,” he used his hand in hers to pull himself closer to her, “You deserve better than that.”

Unable to hold his intense gaze for much longer, Jemma dropped her eyes to study his hand in hers (it was like they were made for this, her hand fit almost too perfectly in his…oh, wait, they _were_ made for this, soulmates and all), “So what changed?” she murmured, her voice quiet, not sure she really wanted to know the answer (especially not if it turned out to be nothing, that this feeling of safety wouldn’t last because he had no intention of sticking around).

“Turns out I have more than a few friends who believe in my ability to be better than my family,” he replied, his voice soft enough that it brought her eyes up to meet his curiously, “And every single one of them wants to keep you just as safe as I need you to be. And,” he gave her a small smile, “They all reminded me that you deserved the opportunity to decide for yourself if you wanted to take that risk or not.”

Heart in her throat, Jemma nervously glanced around the room unseeingly before looking back at Clint, “And if I want to?” she asked quietly, uncertain, not of her feelings but of his.

A slow smile spread across his face, lighting his whole expression and leading to butterflies in her stomach, “Then I’d be more than happy for the opportunity to get to know you,” he murmured, his eyes soft and warm.

“What do you think you’re doing Barton?” Bobbi’s familiar voice snapped with unfamiliar irritation from behind her.

Jemma frowned in confusion as Clint’s expression slid from flirtation, joy and hope into mild irritation and resignation, “Bobbi,” he greeted as Jemma turned to look at Bobbi with a confused frown.

“I asked you a question,” her glare was unwavering and…mean.

“Bobbi?” Jemma questioned her friend, her eyes catching sight of Hunter’s annoyed expression as he closed the last few feet between him and his soulmate, “Something wrong?”

Bobbi’s brown eyes flicked over to her, “You might want to move away from him Jemma,” she warned, “Barton’s have a habit of using the women who get close to them,” her nose twitched with disgust at Clint.

“Bob,” Hunter spoke up, finally reaching Bobbi’s side, “I thought we decided that you interfering would be a bad idea,” he shot Bobbi a look before turning to Clint with a small smile, “Barton,” he acknowledged him.

“Hunter,” Clint returned, his posture as tense as his voice.

Obviously she was missing something, “Can someone please explain what’s happening here?” she requested, “Clint? Bobbi?” neither person managed to pull their glare from the other, though Clint did squeeze her hand reassuringly. Jemma sighed, “Hunter?” she prodded the one of them that seemed willing to say anything.

Hunter rolled his eyes at the two of them, “Barton’s brother married and abandoned Bob’s sister with their three kids,” he told Jemma, “Bobbi hasn’t been very fond of him or his family since.”

“And what do his brother’s mistakes have to do with Clint?” Jemma asked, not liking the way Bobbi was looking at Clint.

“He’s a Barton,” she stated, “He’s just like his brother and his father—“

“Bob,” Hunter tried to interrupt but she just kept going.

“and whoever the unfortunate soul is who has his words on her body must have done something seriously wrong to get stuck with him for the rest of her unfortunate life,” Bobbi stepped forward threateningly, leading Clint to gently tug Jemma behind him protectively, “But until the day he meets the poor girl, he’ll prey on innocent girls like the jerk he is and I won’t let you be one of them Jemma.”

Feeling a surge of protectiveness of her own as she noticed Clint was almost trembling he was so tense Jemma frowned, “ _I_ happen to be that _fortunate_ girl,” she snapped, “and I’ll thank you not to speak to him as if you know anything about the kind of man he is,” she ignored Bobbi’s bewildered look and moved to stand in front of Clint, her back to Bobbi, “Want to get some air?” she asked Clint, catching his attention once more.

He studied her for a moment before nodding once and turning to leave, “Jemma,” Bobbi called, her voice strained.

Jemma frowned at Bobbi over her shoulder, “Unless the next words out of your mouth are an apology for how you’ve treated my soulmate I suggest you forget it and leave me alone for the rest of the night.”

Hunter snorted, doing a poor job of masking his amusement, “Told you it was a bad idea to interrupt them,” he muttered with a wink at Jemma, “Barton,” he raised his voice enough to catch Clint’s attention.

Clint stilled and turned to look at him, “What?” he sighed, seeming resigned to whatever Hunter was going to say.

Giving Hunter a warning look, Jemma waited for him to speak which he did with a smirk, “Jemma is family,” he stated clearly, “And while you and I both know you’d rather die than hurt her, you know what I’m capable of. Take care of her, or I will end you,” he winked at Jemma again, “Consider that my shovel talk,” he waved his hand dismissively at them, “Away with the both of you, I have a furious soulmate to tame.”

Bobbi slapped him on the arm with a scowl for that comment but Jemma ignored them, turning and tugging Clint to start walking again. She could still feel faint tremors shaking through his body and felt at a loss as to what she could do to lessen them. She knew he wasn’t scared or even concerned, so reassurances weren’t likely to work; he was simply shaking from holding himself so tense and battle ready so suddenly and that wasn’t something she knew how to combat. So deep in thought was she that she didn’t realize Skye was nearby until she suddenly materialized at Clint’s side, her hand on his arm pulling them both to a stop.

“I’ll handle Bobbi,” she told them, “Don’t let her get to you Barton,” she slugged his arm playfully, “She’s just being overly protective for no reason. Of course, she probably doesn’t know it’s for no reason, but I’m about to go enlighten her,” she gave them both a reassuring smile, “You and I are going to have some serious girl talk later,” she pointed to Jemma with a grin, “now go have fun,” she waved them away, “I’ll deal with the rest.”

Suddenly aware that more than one set of eyes were watching her and Clint, Jemma felt her face go red again with embarrassment, “Thank you,” she mumbled, barely resisting the urge to hide her face in Clint’s shoulder.

Clint repeated her thanks before squeezing her hand and guiding her up a set of stairs to a more secluded area.  She took a deep breath once they were free from the crowd, realizing for the first time how tense she’d been herself when all eyes had been on them. Clint gave one last squeeze to her hand before he released her to pace a few steps away.

“Clint?” she called softly a few minutes of pacing later. His head came around to look at her instantly, “Talk to me?”

He studied her for a minute before sighing, “I don’t think I can let you go,” he finally voiced his thoughts.

Jemma’s heart squeezed at the pain in his voice and at the idea he’d voiced, “Why would you…let me go?” she inquired, hoping uselessly that her own hurt wasn’t showing in her voice, “Do you not want to be—“

“I want to Jemma,” he interrupted her firmly, “Believe me, I want to. I want to make you the happiest woman in the world and spend the rest of my life making sure you realize just how much you’re loved,” he stepped closer to her, his expression earnest, “But that’s the thing that scares me the most. That I want all of that, the fairytale ending, happily ever after or whatever, but it can’t possibly be this easy. Not for me,” he seemed somewhat embarrassed at having admitted so much, but determined to share his thoughts with her.

“So you’re trying to create your own obstacles?” she voiced her own thoughts, “Maybe it’s easy now Clint, but that doesn’t mean it always will be. Neither of us have a particularly easy jobs, and that’s just one of the things that could make things complicated for us,” she shook her head at him, “We don’t need to go looking for obstacles when more than a few are likely to pop up all on their own soon enough,” she turned from him to look over the New York skyline, surprised when she realized she could see some of Times Square where they were gearing up to drop the ball from where she stood.

She was so distracted by the sight that she didn’t realize Clint was moving until his hands were cautiously sliding around her waist. She could feel that he was uncertain of how his actions would be received, so she did her best to reassure him by relaxing into him, her back resting against his chest.

Sighing as she felt some of the tension in her body flee at his touch she smiled to herself when she felt him nuzzle his nose into her hair, taking several deep breaths, as if he were trying to commit her smell to memory, “I’ve dreamed about this,” she heard herself say.  Clint stilled behind her, but instead of moving away like she feared he would he pulled her tighter to him as if to silently urge her to continue, “I’d imagine little moments like this where it’s just us, being together. I also used to wonder why you would wait seven years before giving me your words, and then I’d wonder when and how you’d finally do it.”

His warm breath huffed against her hair as he gave a self-deprecating chuckle, “I bet it wasn’t all you thought it would be was it?” he sighed.

Jemma smiled a little, “Actually it went a lot better than some of the scenarios in my head,” she admitted, “A lot of those consisted of me playing the role of damsel in distress,” she shrugged a little, making no apologies for the thought, “I’ll probably never be able to claim to be a capable fighter, and should someone set their mind to kidnapping me I’m not sure how much trouble they’d have. I’d struggle of course,” her head tilted givingly, “but I’m small and light, so that’s not saying much, despite Bobbi and Skye’s best efforts,” she laughed a little, “So the idea that I’d been kidnapped or trapped somehow and you, my own personal superhero, would come and rescue me was a fond scenario. It was highly romanticized of course, and it would very likely have been quite miserable in real life, but that’s what day-dreams are for right?”

Her mouth snapped shut as she realized she was rambling, and most of what she was saying was pretty embarrassing. She nearly shivered with pleasure when Clint nuzzled his way down until his lips were near her ear, when he spoke his voice was soft and low, meant for her and her alone, “I used to wonder which words I would finally say to you when I saw you again,” he murmured, “I’d lay awake at night surrounded by the worst forms of hell imaginable and I’d think of all the things I’d say. How I’d tell you how beautiful you were, how lucky I was, how smart and _brilliant_ I think you are, how head over heels I am for you, how I spent years watching over you, making sure you were taken care of.”

Jemma gasped, a puzzle piece finally sliding into place. Turning in his arms she stared up at Clint with surprise, “You paid for my loans,” she realized, “And that time when my car was totaled…you bought me a new one?”

Clint seemed unsure of whether to confirm or deny her comments but ultimately he nodded, “Yes,” he confirmed, a small spark of worry in his eyes, “Money was something that wasn’t an issue for me, you were young and brilliant, you didn’t need to be bogged down by student loans. And the car thing…” he shrugged, his eyes briefly darted away from hers nervously before he braved looking down at her again.  

Her eyes searched his for a moment before she found herself reaching up to pull his head down to hers so she could kiss him.  They both froze in surprise as her lips first touched his, but neither of them pulled away. Jemma’s mind began to race thinking of excuses and distractions she could offer to make the moment less awkward, but before she could pull away to start giving them Clint hummed a pleased noise and pulled her closer, his lips pressing against hers gently.

She felt her body go pliant against his, molding her front to his until there was no space between them as he kissed her long and deep. She could feel the tension leaving his body the longer he held her and she couldn’t help the sigh of contentment that left her when he prodded her lips open with his tongue. Her thoughts scattered as the kiss went on and on until he finally pulled back, nuzzling her forehead with his nose and lips, “I hope that doesn’t count as my New Year’s kiss,” he breathed, his warm breath fanning over her face.

Jemma resisted the urge to shake her head, wanting to keep him exactly where he was (so close, so warm and good, she could stay here like this forever), “There will definitely be more of that in our future,” she finally managed to piece together. Her eyes shot open as her words finally sank in, “I mean if you want, I wouldn’t want to assume—“

Clint chuckled and swooped in to kiss her again. Okay, as far as methods to turn her brain off, this was by far one of her favorites. She hummed in contentment as the kiss went on before she finally had to pull away for air, “I take it that’s a yes?” she breathed feeling breathless and lightheaded in the most wonderful of ways.

Another warm chuckle had her pealing her eyes open to find Clint smiling down at her, “That’s is a definite yes, for as long as you’re willing to let me kiss you, I will be taking as many kisses as I can get,” he kissed her forehead, “I’m not going to lie and say it will be easy, and sometimes I might have to leave so I don’t say or do something we’ll both regret, but I promise I won’t ever stay away long,” he took a deep breath and kissed the bridge of her nose before meeting her eyes with his, “ I want this Jemma, I want us to be together, and if you’re willing to do this with me…” he trailed off.

“More than willing,” she smiled back, her heart flipping eagerly at the warmth in his stare.

His lips moved to rest against her forehead again in a lingering kiss, “Then we’ll do this,” he decided. A serene sort of confidence fell on him once he spoke, having the odd effect of relaxing her further. He tightened his arms around her as she leant into him, holding her close with a soft kiss to the crown of her head.

This, this peace, contentment, safety and the feeling home she felt while wrapped in Clint’s arms, this was worth waiting seven years for. All the tears she’d cried, all the dreams she’d dreamt, the longing and hope she’d held for this moment, it had all been worth it. This was above and beyond what she’d imagined, she was happy and relieved and the feelings of this moment were more intense and wonderful than she’d even dared to hope for.

They were going to be fine. Jemma and Clint, Clint and Jemma, they were going to stand the test of time. They didn’t need that kiss at midnight to promise they’d be together for the whole year, because right now? Standing here together, exchanging occasional kisses and holding each other close? This was them, promising forever. Midnight could come and go, and while they’d more than likely take advantage of the traditional kiss sharing, Jemma had no concerns for their future, this year or any year after it.

As long as they had each other, she and Clint were going to be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you think? Was it everything you hoped for? Was it missing something, is there a scene or two you'd like to see at some point? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
> 
> Thanks again to all of you for reading! Enjoy your new year!

**Author's Note:**

> More to come, stay tuned! Let me know what you think with a Kudos or comment below!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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